Economics & finance
We have strong in-house capabilities in economics and finance, with experience across multiple sectors
Our experts are skilled in economic and financial cost-benefit analyses associated with investment and quantitative risk analysis.
We have conducted investment evaluation across a variety of investment stages and from a variety of perspectives, from purely commercial investments to those that consider non-market benefits such as climate change mitigation.
Our capabilities are bolstered through Nimmo-Bell & Associates, a Division of the Prime Group of companies.
Our primary areas of competency are in:
♦ Natural resource economics
♦ Financial and cost benefit analysis (CBA) in relation to investments
♦ Quantitative risk analysis
♦ Strategic analysis
♦ Programme design, management and evaluation
♦ Public policy
♦ Economic research
♦ Financial and compliance auditing
♦ Governance at national, industry and individual business levels
♦ Impact evaluation
We have proven expertise and a strong track record in making assessments of impact investments, programme relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability, along with quantifying economic impacts for decision makers.
We are also experts in developing, adopting and/or applying frameworks for the purpose of impact evaluation, including those from New Zealand Treasury.
We understand and use theories of change, logical or results frameworks and outcome logic models in our work, complementing them with structured systems and metrics to track and enhance progress against desired outcomes and impacts.
We have a wide-ranging understanding of government contexts, having worked across central government, regional government authorities and industry bodies in New Zealand, the Asia-Pacific region and further afield.
Past work includes:
♦ Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for a study of a water infrastructure and related water pricing policy for Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia, for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
♦ Economic and financial CBA and financial management assessment for the ADB-funded Community-Based Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development project in Afghanistan, involving flood protection and on-farm climate change resiliency across 17 provinces in the country.
♦ Financial due diligence involving CBA and financial management assessment for the ADB’s Uzbekistan Integrated Urban Development Project in 2020, encompassing the transport, water and tourism infrastructure sectors.
♦ Evaluation of the R&D portfolio within New Zealand’s dairy industry for DairyNZ and Dairy Insight. This included CBA to determine the return on investment of levy-payer funds and guide future funding decisions.
♦ Financial management assessment of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock (2018 and 2020), Ministry for Rural Rehabilitation and Development (2020) and Ministry of Energy and Water (2018).
♦ Providing technical support during the development of a National Economic Plan for Kiribati between 2020 and 2021, funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
♦ Economic analysis of alternative farrowing systems in the New Zealand pork industry in 2015, funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries and National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee.
♦ Economic analysis of proposed changes to import health standards for pork on behalf of New Zealand Pork in 2011.
♦ Economic analysis and submission preparation on proposed animal welfare regulations for the New Zealand pork industry in 2010, on behalf of New Zealand Pork.
♦ Economic analysis of potential options for meat and bone meal use in the Australian pig industry in 2005, on behalf of Australian Pork Ltd.
